NFL Week 9 Big Trouble in Big D: 6 Reasons Why the Dallas Cowboys Are 1-6
Practically every media outlet that reports on the NFL predicted that, this year, the Dallas Cowboys would have a good chance of winning the NFC and go on to play in Super Bowl XLV.... The Super Bowl that happens to be in their own Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Needless to say, the Cowboys are nowhere near the playoffs, the Super Bowl or even breaking .500 for the season. They are awful. They have been a disappointment on just about every level. And things are not getting better. Now, Tony Romo, their gunslinger QB, has a broken left clavicle and is most likely out for the remainder of the year.
Season over.
There are many reasons why the Cowboys are as bad as they are this year. Here are Six Reasons Why the Cowboys are 1-6:
1: Preseason
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This year, the Dallas Cowboys went through one of the most perplexing training camps in NFL history. Dallas was the first team to open workouts and was among the last to end them. Over the five weeks, the Cowboys trained inside the AlamoDome in San Antonio, at home at Valley Ranch for a few days, then in Oxnard, California, an hour north of Los Angeles.
Lots of people came to see them: Just over 200,000 in San Antonio, another 21,000 watched an open practice at home during the week in between and 75,000 fans attended the workouts in Oxnard.
The fans were pumped for the upcoming season!
But…did this whirlwind, nationwide excursion help the team get focused and ready for the 2010 season?
Many comments were made during the preseason that the team looked sluggish. At the same time, Jerry Jones and Wade Phillips attempted to assure everyone that this shouldn’t concern anyone…"It’s just preseason."
At the close of training camp, Jones said the following about this unique approach: "I really like it. I wanted to see how it worked and make that assessment after we've finished out here. Where we are right now, it's a good way to go."...
...Do you still think so, Jerry?
2: Performance
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If you just look at the individual stats, you would be impressed with the Cowboys Offense.
Before going down with what is likely to be a season-ending injury, Tony Romo was No. 6 in passer rating in the league. Miles Austin is No. 4 in pass receiving ypg. Jason Whitten is second only to Antonio Gates in receiving yards for TE’s. Rookie Dez Bryant is tied with Devin Hester with both having two punt returns for TDs.
As a unit, the Cowboys are No. 4 in total offense (yards).
But at 1-6, those are empty numbers. The Offense has put the Cowboys close enough to be in most of their games. But when the clock reads “00:00”, they have been on the wrong side of the stat sheet.
The performance problems aren’t just about what’s happening on offense. Other teams are running wild on Dallas.
The Cowboys are No. 24 in rushing defense and No. 27 in scoring defense. They have only picked off five passes and recovered five fumbles.
Their 16 sacks puts them in the middle of the pack, but half of them have come from one player—Ware.
It’s hard to limit a team’s passing attack if you are not getting pressure on the QB.
3: Play Calling
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Jason Garrett, once thought to be the heir apparent to the Cowboys’ head coaching position, is struggling. He was considered a whiz-kid that was almost ready to take over; now he is the target of www.firejasongarrett.com.
Any semblance of play calling balance is long gone.
On the year, the Cowboys are running the ball a measly 34 percent of the time and throwing it 66 percent of the time. (Note: The Cowboys only have two rushing touchdowns—both by Marion Barber—in seven games. As a team, they are only averaging 3.7 ypc.)
While you might think, “Well, they were behind. They had to throw it to catch up.” Most of the games, they were not down by so much so early that they would have to relatively ignore or completely abandon the run.
For comparison, the New England Patriots, currently 6-1, run the ball 46 percent of the time and throw it 54 percent of the time. Not the only reason why New England is doing well, but…..
History has not been kind, with few exceptions, to teams that were so lopsided when it comes to passing vs. running the ball.
The Cowboys are not likely to change their direction this season even if they correct their play calling unevenness.
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4: Penalties
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Going into the month of November, Dallas has been flagged 57 times in seven games, the sixth highest in the league. The Cowboys have they been penalized a lot, but the bigger story is what those penalties have cost them.
The crippling effect of untimely penalties was never more evident than in Game 1, Monday Night against the Washington Redskins. OT Alex Barron was put into the line-up because Marc Columbo was still recovering from knee surgery. Barron was flagged three separate times for holding during the game. But the most damaging penalty came on the last play to nullify a game-winning touchdown pass to Roy Williams.
Penalties stop you from scoring and keep your opponents drives going. The Cowboys have done both numerous times this season.
5: Personnel
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The Cowboys had the reputation going into the season of having as much talent as anyone in the league. While they may have lots of offensive play-makers (Tony Romo, Jason Whitten, Miles Austin, Felix Jones, Dez Bryant…to name a few), the fact is that they also have an aging offensive line that lacks athleticism and depth. If you don’t have guys who can protect your passer, open holes for your RBs, and give your receivers time to get open, you can have all the talent in the world, and you still may not succeed.
It’s well-documented how many times that the Cowboys have swung and missed (and missed badly) in selecting offensive linemen in the draft.
Flozell Adams, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, was released this past offseason, with virtually no one waiting in the wings to replace him.
On defense, do they have players who have won awards in the past? Sure.
More than a few former Pro-Bowlers dot this line-up.
And, DeMarcus Ware may be “the most dynamic defender in the league right now” (described this way by ESPN analysts at the beginning of the season).
But as a group, they lack run-stoppers and lockdown coverage people.
6: Pride
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Comments by former Cowboys pretty much say it:
"They are a bunch of underachievers," Tony Dorsett said. "On paper, they are one of the best teams in the league. But they are not getting it together and playing as a team. When it's crunch time and time to start earning their money, that's when they start falling apart with penalties, turnovers and mistakes."
"They think they were born stars," said Charles Haley, who won three of his five Super Bowl rings with the Cowboys. "They think someone else is supposed to do the dirty work. Look at this team's roster. You can see the payroll of this team, and it's unbelievable."
Even before Romo went down, the Cowboys played listlessly. They looked like they didn’t care how things turned out or what happened.
How Will This Season End?
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It's doubtful that the Cowboys will repeat the futility of the 1989 season: 1-15. Jerry Jones was the new owner. And that was Jimmy Johnson's first year as head coach. A year that Cowboy fans hoped to never see again. The first seven games of this year look and feel strangely like a repeat performance.
The silver-lining about that horrible season was that, just a few years later (1992), the Cowboys won it all!
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